High School Baseball Preseason Curriculum: 8-Week Plan

Throwing Program Install & Arm Care (Indoor)

Every player completes four logged throwing days at the Week 1 distance cap, performs the band and scap arm-care circuit without cues, and has baseline numbers recorded (60-yard time, catch-and-throw velocity if you have a radar, sit-and-reach and shoulder mobility screen).

• First Practice: Arm Care, Defense & Cage Work (Indoor) · 90 min

  Run the linked fall-ball first-practice plan moved into the gym: keep its arm-care and throwing periods but cap long toss at the Week 1 program distance, run the defensive periods on the gym floor with soft-covered balls, and replace live BP with two cage tee stations.

• Throwing Program Day 1 & Baseline Testing · 90 min

  Twenty minutes of arm care and progressive catch play at the program's short-distance cap, then testing stations (60 time, mobility screen, exchange velocity) that rotate every 12 minutes, closing with a band flush and a written throwing log for every player.

Tryouts & Evaluation While the Arms Keep Ramping

Every candidate is scored on the same five stations (throw, field, hit, run, position skill) by two evaluators, throwing distance advances one step on the program, and JV and varsity rosters are posted by Friday with a written reason for every cut.

• Tryout Evaluation Stations · 90 min

  Five scored stations rotating every 15 minutes with two evaluators each: program throwing, infield ground balls, outfield fly balls and drop steps, cage hitting, and a position skill (catcher receiving, pitcher flat-ground). Every player gets a printed score sheet.

• Full-Team Evaluation Day · 90 min

  Run the linked fall-ball plan as the tryout skeleton: its arm-care and defensive periods give evaluators live reads on footwork and exchange, and its BP period becomes scored cage rounds. Trim long toss to the Week 2 program distance.

Infield Defense Fundamentals & Outfield/Relay Basics

Every infielder fields 100+ ground balls this week with a consistent triangle, funnel, and four-seam exchange, turns a 6-4-3 and 4-6-3 at controlled speed, and every outfielder hits the cutoff man on 8 of 10 throws in the relay drill.

• Infield Defense Fundamentals · 90 min

  Run the linked 90-minute infield defense plan as written for JV and first-year infielders; varsity infielders use the same period structure with the double-play block extended and throw distances kept inside the Week 3 program cap.

• Outfield Reads & Relay Lines · 90 min

  Drop-step and crossover reads off a fungo, communication rules (center fielder has priority), then relay lines with a cutoff man scoring hits to the glove side; long toss lives inside this period so arms get one ramp day, not two.

Hitting Fundamentals: Tee to Front Toss to Live

Every hitter can describe and demonstrate their load, stride, and contact point on the tee, hits 70% hard contact off front toss, and takes a first controlled live round against a coach or a pitcher throwing at 60-70% from behind an L-screen. Program throwing continues on the days that fit.

• Hitting Fundamentals · 90 min

  Run the linked 90-minute hitting plan as written for the whole team: tee mechanics, front-toss timing, and pitch recognition. Varsity hitters run the same periods with two-strike constraints added in the front-toss block.

• Cage Rotation: Tee to Front Toss to Live · 90 min

  Four groups rotate every 12 minutes through tee, front toss, machine, and a live station where a coach or a rested pitcher throws from behind an L-screen at 60-70%; hitters track hard-contact percentage on a card and move up a station only when they hit the mark.

Pitching Fundamentals & Battery Days

Every pitcher throws two bullpens this week on a written progression (flat ground to mound, 25 then 35 pitches, fastball command first) with a catcher who logs strikes and misses; catchers complete receiving, blocking, and throwing periods and each pitcher-catcher pair has a signals plan.

• Pitching Fundamentals (JV & First-Year Arms) · 90 min

  Run the linked 90-minute pitching fundamentals plan as written for JV and first-year pitchers: delivery mechanics, PFP, and arm care. Varsity pitchers use the same arm-care and PFP periods, then throw a 25-pitch flat-ground to mound pen instead of the mechanics block.

• Pitcher-Catcher Battery Day · 120 min

  Run the linked 120-minute battery plan with the pitch-design period simplified: fastball command to both sides, one secondary pitch, and pitch-calling basics. Pens are 35 pitches, logged by catchers, and receiving, blocking, and throw-down periods run for catchers while pitchers recover.

Baserunning, Bunt Defense & First-and-Third

Every player runs primary and secondary leads, reads a ball in the dirt, and tags correctly; the defense executes both bunt-defense calls and two first-and-third coverages against a live offense with fewer than two mistakes per rep block. Bullpens continue at 45 pitches.

• Baserunning School · 90 min

  Primary and secondary leads, dirt-ball reads, tag-ups, and first-to-third rounds off a fungo, run as four groups rotating every 15 minutes with a coach at each base; pitchers throw catch play and PFP at the same time so nobody stands around.

• Bunt Defense & First-and-Third · 90 min

  Run the linked infield defense plan's warm-up and ground-ball periods, then replace the double-play block with bunt-defense rotations (both calls, runners live) and two first-and-third coverages against a live offense. Say the calls the same way you will in the dugout.

Team Defense & Intrasquad Scrimmages

Cuts and relays are executed correctly on 9 of 10 fungo reps to every base; the team plays two intrasquad games with pitchers on counted innings (pen work counts toward the total) and every pitcher's pitches logged and rest days honored per your state association's pitch-count table.

• Cuts, Relays & Situational Team Defense · 90 min

  Relay lines to every base with trail runners live, then 21-out situational defense off a fungo with runners placed and calls made from the dugout; pitchers work PFP and pickoff timing while the outfield relays run.

• Battery Day: Building Toward Opening Week · 120 min

  Run the linked 120-minute battery plan with the pens extended: starters to 60 pitches or two live innings, relievers to 30, all logged by catchers with a first-pitch-strike percentage. Keep the pitch-calling period; it becomes the staff's game plan next week.

Opening-Week Rhythm & Pitching Staff Plan

The staff has a posted rotation with named starters, piggyback arms, and relievers, a pitch-count log the head coach signs before every game, and rest days scheduled per your state association's table; the team runs a full pregame routine twice and plays its first game with nothing new installed.

• Game-Week Practice: Arm Care, Defense & Live BP · 75 min

  Run the linked fall-ball plan trimmed to 75 minutes on game weeks: keep arm care and the throwing program in full, shorten the defensive periods to routine plays and one situation, and cap live BP at two rounds so pitchers who threw yesterday only do arm care.

• Pregame Routine Rehearsal · 90 min

  A 90-minute walk through the exact pregame sequence at game time: arrival and stretch, throwing program, infield-outfield with the actual starting nine, cage rounds by lineup order, and the pitcher's pregame pen (30 pitches, logged) with the catcher who will call the game.